Aycliffe’s Apprentice of the Year has hailed the return of the Make Your Mark Awards as “incredible”.
Ellie Shooter, from Digital Edge on the business park, won the Apprentice category at the 2022 Make Your Mark Awards, held in association with Husqvarna at Redworth Hall Hotel.
Ellie originally joined Digital Edge on a work placement while at college in 2021.
Directors Ian Proctor and Graham Marsh quickly realised she was an outstanding and self-motivated young person who could be left to get on with work and deliver the highest quality for their customers.
Ellie has grown the social media accounts she has worked on three-fold since starting and Digital Edge’s clients are delighted with her work.
She is proactive and pushes all the time to deliver the best online content that results in increased revenues for her clients.
Her exceptional social media marketing skills also extend to Facebook Live and podcast-style productions – and Ellie has shown herself to be a natural talent when it comes to presenting them.
Ellie pipped Stiller’s Connor Bland to the award win, and said: “Being able to be here and speak to so many different people and know so many businesses, it’s just been incredible – better than I could ever have imagined.”
Asked about her colleagues and bosses at Digital Edge, Ellie added: “It’s an amazing team and I dedicate this to all of them.
“I didn’t go to uni. I wanted to get myself out there and that’s exactly what I did. I work in an amazing industry at an amazing business park.
“I have been pushed every single day of my work and I’ve risen to every single challenge that’s been thrown at me. It’s made me who I am today and I feel like that’s been appreciated, which is amazing.
“Just being able to go into some of the biggest businesses around here, sit down with the company director and they listen to me – that is incredible.
“I’ve been received in a professional manner. It’s amazing that although I’m young and an apprentice, people take me seriously.”
The Apprentice of the Year category was sponsored by Think Kudos, based on the business park.
Partner Matthew McConnell said: “It was a pleasure to be invited to present the Apprentice of the Year award to Ellie from Digital Edge, and commiserations to Connor Bland from Stiller who was an outstanding finalist for the award.
“Our firm has been built around apprenticeships, so it made complete sense for us to sponsor that category.
“It was fantastic to see the awards return and the night itself was a fantastic celebration of our business park.”
• Pictured above: Matthew McConnell, from sponsors Think Kudos, presents the Apprentice of the Year award to Digital Edge’s Ellie Shooter.
